Rumor: iPhone 5S to start production this quarter, on the shelves this summer

Attention Mac freaks: get your city sidewalk tents, lounge chairs, and fully stocked coolers ready. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Apple is gearing up to begin production of the next generation of iPhone this quarter. It’s never too early to prepare for the three-plus-day outdoor sleepover we all know you’re going to have to get your hands on one before everyone else.

If this rumor proves to be true, then we could see the new iPhone hit the shelves — for approximately 37 seconds — as early as this summer, much sooner than we expected, pointing toward a traditional June debut for the iPhone.

The unnamed sources — who are likely Apple employees due to WSJ’s streak of successfully reporting rumors with impeccable accuracy — told WSJ that the new phone would be similar in shape and size to the iPhone 5. The significance of this? The new release will likely be the 5S, rather than the 6. This means the new iPhone will likely only consist of a software upgrade rather than hardware, similar to the 4S.

But that doesn’t mean we still won’t see sidewalk sleepers eager to get their hands on one.

The report also claims that Apple is, in fact, still working on a new, affordable version of the phone, though there’s no news as to when production on those will start. The company is supposedly working with manufacturers in Asia to work out the details on the cheaper version.

While word on the street claims that the iPhone Mini (or whatever Apple calls it) will actually still rock the same 4-inch screen, the casing is where one of the big changes will be seen. Rather than the metal body the current model has, it may be plastic or even carbon fiber. To boot, it may be available in a slew of colors, much like the latest generation of iPods.

Are you excited about the potential new release? Lukewarm? Indifferent?